The Wi-Fi Alliance has specified a set of means to provide peer-to-peer wireless networking between two wireless devices called Wi-Fi Direct (also known as WFD or Wi-Fi P2P) using IEEE 802.11 radios. Examples of applications include access to other devices, sending files, playing files, displaying audio and/or video from one device to another, and printing documents. For example, one WFD-enabled wireless device may establish a WFD connection with a WFD-enabled printer and use the connection to wirelessly print documents.
Two devices may establish a Wi-Fi Direct connection if they have an IP connection or IP address. Once a WFD connection has been established, the connection can be used to exchange messages between the devices.
Wi-Fi Direct uses IEEE 802.11 radios. These radios in turn are currently defined in the 2.4GHz ISM band, the 5 GHz UNII band, and the 60 GHz band (WiGig). There is future work in progress that may allow 802.11 extensions to work in 800-900 MHz, in TV whitespace bands, and in 6-9 GHz bands.